The Angel and the King
by Aerides
Summary: While on a European tour, the Shah of Persia discovers rumours of a strange phantom that seem strangely familiar. He sends the Daroga to return him to his services at any cost, but Erik has other ideas. E/C - mix of ALW and Leroux.


**The Angel and the King**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer – I don't own it.<strong>

**A/N – This comes from a very random idea that came to me while I was on a very long bus ride so I wrote a quick intro for it. **Whether it's worth continuing or not only time will tell. **The next chapter for my other story, The Changeable tide is in progress, but going slower than usual, which is really frustrating. **

**Summary – While on a European tour, the Shah of Persia discovers rumours of a strange phantom that seem strangely familiar. He sends the Daroga to return him to his services at any cost, but Erik has other ideas.**

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><p>"Karim, did you notice something unusual about the performance the other night?" the aging king of kings asked as he puffed on a cigar, obviously making the most of his freedom since his wives would never permit him to smoke without all those disapproving glances and prayers for his soul.<p>

The Persian froze, the old man had been suspiciously quiet about the opera they had attended and the weekend had been spent in quiet contemplation. The Shah had come to Paris as part of one of his increasingly frequent European tours. He liked to keep moving since so many people back in Persia wanted him dead, and he was also a great lover of the West and all things modern and artistic. So to feed this cultural curiosity the he and the Shah, and a few armed bodyguards had been in attendance at the opening night of a new opera entitled Hannibal.

"Apart from the last minute replacement of the leading lady?" Karim replied offhandedly.

"Yes, apart from that. Did you find the music to be a mite familiar? The victory march for example, did that now sound exactly like a march a certain someone composed for my dear Esmat as a wedding gift."

"It's a small world, my lord."

"It certainly is. Good to know our talented friend is still alive and fabricating a world of illusions and forged identities as per usual. I rather liked the opera, recycling aside. It was slightly Wagnerian only without the underlying prejudices. But I'm digressing; this is golden opportunity that has presented itself to us. It seems only right that we should take it."

"I don't understand."

"Well surely you've noticed that all these attempts on my life only started after our Dark Angel's little disappearing act. And so I have a little job for you, Daroga."

"You want me to convince him to return to your services." Karim finished, the Shah had obviously been planning this from the moment he heard the overture. The alias Erik had used was irrelevant, it was undeniably his music. It was the kind of sound that not even a philistine could forget.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around, Karim."

"He'll never agree to it, my lord. Not after what happened."

"Well you can tell him that I'll have a word with the Ayatollah as well and make all the... unpleasantness, go away."

"He had three fatawa issued against him and you cut out his eye!"

"That was just a friendly warning, dear boy." Karim hated it when the old tyrant called him that, for he was rapidly approaching forty. "A mind like that is far too valuable to be destroyed."

"Corporal punishment aside, how on earth am I supposed to track him down? His work is certainly being played but he could be anywhere and what if this is all merely a coincidence."

"And that girl's voice, was that a coincidence too? On our little excursion I have listened to many talented singers but have only heard one other voice that sounded like hers. There are just too many similarities." He paused as though mulling over an idea. "It shouldn't be too hard for a man of your investigative talents. And I'd wager that you know him better than anyone else." The Shah replied dismissively. "You'll be in your element, Karim, this sort of thing is precisely why I haven't killed you yet." he stubbed out the cigar and made a move to get up from the overstuffed armchair "Consider it a means of making amends, a long time ago you let him escape, now is your chance to get him back and in return you will be pardoned and permitted to leave my services."

"And my family, my lord?"

"Yes, yes, I'll see to it that they're released as well. The three of you would be free to live your lives as you wish..." With that, the king of kings left the luxurious lounge of the Persian embassy, leaving the Daroga to his thoughts.

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><p>TBC<p> 


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